DOJ to treat ransomware attacks with similar priority as terrorism

The Department of Justice is planning to coordinate its ransomware attack investigations with similar protocols it uses for terrorism cases, according to internal guidance sent to U.S. attorney’s offices reviewed by Reuters.

Why it matters: The new guidance comes in the wake of at least two significant ransomware attacks against major U.S. businesses in roughly a month and as the Biden administration attempts to devise ways to thwart future attacks.

Context: In May, a criminal group breached the Colonial Pipeline, the largest refined products pipeline network in the country.

The attack forced the pipeline to shutdown, halting fuel deliveries along the East Coast for days. The company paid the hacker group $4.4 million to regain access to its computers.

A Russia-linked ransomware group forced all of JBS SA's beef plants in the U.S. to temporarily shut down this week, exposing the vulnerability of the world's largest meat processor.